I'm alive
I'm dead
I'm the stranger
Killing an Arab
--- The Cure, Boys Don't Cry

That is not as morbid or dark as it seems. In fact, two Fridays ago a couple of friends and I went to see The Cure in concert, and it completely rocked! Seriously.

Robert Smith and his band of crazies can really put on an awesome show, and they played for over three hours! Holy crap – I haven't been to such a great concert in ever! I know that they couldn't have played every one of their songs, but I couldn't think of a single song that I was sad they didn't play. They played tons of old stuff, some newer stuff, and some new-new stuff! Fan-frickin'-tastic!

Check out Jen's Flickr page for pix and a video clip from the concert. (At one point, I took the camera from Jen and started shooting fotos. At least until the battery went dead.)

I also had a bit of fun a weekend or two ago at our local SnB's Stash Swap (or Sale). This was the first time we've attempted something like this, and I think it went pretty well.

I went through my own stash and tried not to be too tight-fisted or hoardish. I have plenty (PLENTY!!!) of yarn that I will never get to, fell out of love with, or have no clue why I bought it in the first place. Some of it is from when I was a new knitter and didn't know my own sense of style or preferences for knits. Whatever the reason, if I couldn't imagine casting on with it right now, then I was willing to give someone else the chance.

Some of the yarns I traded or sold were:

• a sweater's worth of Pattons Anna in pinks and purple along with the pattern
• 8 balls of Reynolds Santana, leftovers from Tivoli I knit years ago
• 3 balls of Muench String of Pearls
• 1 pound of mystery wool; one of my first eBay yarn purchases
• the leftover skein plus bits of Brooks Farm Duet from Matt's vest
• 6 balls of Trendsetter Spiral
• and some sock yarn (yes, Sock Yarn!)

Some of what I got in return are:

• 11 balls of Rowan Cotton Glace in a variety of colors
• 3 balls of Rowan Handknit Cotton
• a ball of Lang JaWoll (sockyarn)
• 2 balls of KnitPicks Glossamer in Carribbean
• a few balls of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino DK and Aran
• 2 balls of Noro Cash Iroha
• 1 ball of Knit One/Crochet Too Ty-Dy cotton
• some Rowan Linen Print
• and a couple Vogue Knitting 'zines

We also had a collection for any discarded, unloved, and unwanted yarns to be donated to a local women's prison, to which some of my stash went. All in all a good time and a success.

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